Sakura

Sakura may be a little shy when you first meet her, but once she gets to know you, her sweet and affectionate personality really starts to shine. She absolutely LOVES butt scratches and being close to her people. When she needs a little break, she may even crawl right under your legs to snuggle up! Because Sakura is a more shy and fearful dog, she’ll benefit from an adopter who is willing to take their time and allow her confidence to grow at her own pace. She doesn’t need to be rushed she needs someone who will patiently show her that the world is a safe and wonderful place. With consistency, patience, and positive experiences, we expect to see more of Sakura’s happy, wiggly, confident personality come out!

Sakura is a social smaller dog who has previously lived with children and another small dog. She isn’t particularly enthusiastic about walks right now, and she initially showed some fear around the louder urban traffic in front of the shelter. This may improve as she continues to build positive associations with those sounds. Her adopter can help by pairing walks with high-value treats, keeping an eye on her body language, and making sure she stays comfortable and below her threshold.

Sakura is a smaller dog, people may be tempted to pick her up or immediately give her lots of attention. While well-intentioned, these actions can take away her sense of choice and agency and may actually make a shy dog feel less confident. Giving Sakura the opportunity to approach people on her own terms, respecting her space, and advocating for her when she needs a break will help her learn that she can trust her people. We’ll be providing a resource about life with smaller dogs to help her future family better understand how to advocate for her.

One more thing you should know about Sakura: she loves to dig! Rather than trying to eliminate this natural behavior, her future family can give her an appropriate outlet by creating a simple dig pit. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy a designated area where Sakura can safely dig and explore can help channel this behavior in a fun and positive way while reducing the temptation to dig where she shouldn’t. Sakura may need a little extra patience in the beginning, but for the person willing to let her set the pace, the reward will be watching this sweet girl blossom into the wiggly, affectionate, confident dog we know is in there.